intercultural & anti-racism week 19-25 March 2007 Working to improve services to minority ethnic groups
Background 19-25 March is Intercultural & Anti-Racism Week in Ireland North and South. The week is built around and includes the United Nations designated International Day Against Racial Discrimination (March 21). This year Intercultural & Anti-Racism Week will also be part of 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All.
Who Is Coordinating The Week? The week is coordinated by the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI) in partnership with the National Action Plan Against Racism and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. This year the theme of the week is ‘Working to Improve Services to Minority Ethnic Groups’ focusing on: • Health
• Education
• Employment
• Housing
• Policing
During the week there will be a series of signature events that will focus on these areas and other policy issues.
Poster circulated to advertise Intercultural & Anti-Racism Week.
The Anticipated Outcomes: • Gaps and barriers that prevent minority ethnic groups, migrant workers and Travellers from accessing services will be identified and addressed • Encourage greater engagement between the statutory sector, social partners and NGO’s working with minority ethnic groups, including migrant workers and Travellers • Further develop positive action measures in the area of health, education, employment, housing and policing such as recruitment into the public services and improving language, translation and interpretive services • Continue to learn from good practice particularly from our ‘nearest neighbours’ including Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Scotland • Ensure government departments, agencies and local and regional authorities redouble their efforts to be more inclusive of the needs of minority ethnic groups in the planning, delivery and review of services.
Key Stakeholders: • • • • • •
Public Service Providers Ethnic Minorities Senior Government Officials Social Partners NGOs/community sector The Media
What Will Be Happening During Intercultural & Anti-Racism Week 2007? There will be a wide range of events happening during the week. Many organisations and community groups will be organising their own events at both national and local level. If you are interested in organising an event linked to the Week’s themes, please let us know so we can add it to the nationwide calendar of events. General resource materials are available on request.
Signature Events Taking Place During The Week Education: • Seminar on ‘Developing the Intercultural Campus in Further and Higher Education in Ireland’ • The 4th North South Intercultural Forum: Educational Achievement of Young People from Minority Ethnic Communities • All island ‘Secondary Schools Against Racism’ poetry competition • A film festival at the Nerve Centre for primary and post primary schools, colleges and the general public • Sports Against Racism Ireland (SARI) – Schools Against Racism Initiative • Replay Productions adaptation of the Canadian play ‘New Kid’. Over 50 performances to take place in primary schools and arts centres in Northern Ireland. Policing: • Seminar on a research publication ‘Hate Crime in Ireland’. Health: • Development of the National Intercultural Health Strategy. Housing: • A conference on ‘Ethnic Diversity & the Challenges for Housing Providers in Ireland’ • Public consultation events on the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland’s draft code of practice ‘Racial Equality in the Provision of Housing and Accommodation’. Employment: • Public service awareness initiatives • Synergy/NCCRI, Drogheda & Dundalk Partnership launch the action research project ‘Supporting Vulnerable Migrants into the Private Employment Sector’. Some other key events include: • A roundtable on Muslim Communities in Britain and Ireland • Launch of the publication ‘Challenging Myths and Misinformation on Migrant Workers & their Families’ • National conference ‘The Traveller Community - Reflections and Challenges in Public Service Delivery’ • National mass media public awareness campaign • Joint evening event in Queens Film Theatre organised by the Equality Commission in partnership with the Northern Ireland Committee/Irish Congress of Trade Unions, marking the bi-centenary of the Abolition of Slavery and drawing parallels with modern day racism and exploitation.
Ideas For Activities During Intercultural & Anti-Racism Week/International Day Against Racism Here are a few suggestions for events: • Organise an event in your school, college, workplace to coincide with intercultural week • Organise an intercultural lunchtime/evening event that draws on the talents of people from different cultures that work with you • Organise a debate on the theme of racism/ethnic diversity or a related theme such as migration • Launch a policy or a publication linked to the theme of the week • Organise an anti-racism/intercultural training session • Link with local community groups to organise an event • Issue a press release to mark Intercultural & Anti-Racism Week and to highlight some key events • Challenge the myths and misinformation about groups such as migrant workers, asylum seekers or Travellers • Highlight the aims of Intercultural & Anti-Racism Week with the groups, clients or customers you work with by displaying posters available on our website.
Contact Us For free posters and booklets or if you are looking for further information please consult the following websites: www.equalityni.org (Equality Commission for Northern Ireland) www.nccri.ie (National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism) www.diversityireland.ie (National Action Plan Against Racism) If you need to contact us, please email:
[email protected] (Ireland) or
[email protected] (Northern Ireland) Equality Commission for Northern Ireland Equality House, 7 – 9 Shaftesbury Square, Belfast, BT2 7DP. Tel: 0044 (0) 28 90890890 Fax: 0044 (0) 28 90331544 Textphone: (0)28 90500589 NCCRI Third Floor, Jervis House, Jervis Street, Dublin 1. Tel: 353 (0)1 8588000 Fax: 353 (0)1 8727621 If you are organising an event please let us know about it by email before 7 March 2007 so we can add it to our national calendar of events, which will be circulated to all our subscribers and posted on our website. Please email information to
[email protected] in Ireland or
[email protected] in Northern Ireland. Please enclose the following details: • • • • • •
Name of event Name of organisers Where it is happening When it is happening (date and time) Who can participate Admission fee (if applicable)
A final calendar of events will be published during the week before Intercultural and Anti-Racism Week 2007.
